Coolant system for rotating blade cutter

Abstract

A coolant system for use with a cutter of the type having a vertically disposed rotatable cutter wheel for cutting metallurgical samples and other objects. Such a cutter has a motor-driven rotatable abrasive or metal cutting wheel or blade, and a workpiece holder which holds a specimen workpiece from which a section is to be sliced off. Either the cutter wheel or the workpiece holder is movable to bring the workpiece into engagement with the cutter wheel. The coolant system is combined with a blade guard which covers a major portion of the rotatable cutting blade for safety reasons, and the coolant system distributes a coolant fluid in an advantageous manner onto the center of the vertically disposed rotating cutting blade on both sides thereof so as to bathe the workpiece over the entire cutting area. The coolant system is primarily intended for use with a cutter of the type where the workpiece is moved into engagement with the cutter wheel during a cutting operation.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A coolant supply system for use with a cutter of the type having a vertically disposed motor-driven rotatable cutter wheel, a workpiece holder which is movable to feed a workpiece into engagement with a front portion of the cutter wheel for a cutting operation, and a wheel guard, the improvement comprising, in combination, wheel guard means covering an upper portion of said cutter wheel while leaving a front portion exposed for engagement with a workpiece, said wheel guard means having a top wall and a pair of opposed side wall portions which cover opposite sides of the upper portion of said cutter wheel, a coolant inlet opening formed in said wheel guard means generally above said cutter wheel and located to distribute coolant downwardly on both sides of said wheel within a space defined by said opposed side wall portions, and a coolant supply conduit connected to said coolant opening for supplying coolant to the interior of said wheel guard means on both sides of said cutter wheel, at least one of said wheel guard side wall portions has directional vanes formed on the inside thereof for directing coolant from said coolant inlet opening toward a front exposed portion of said cutter wheel where the same is engaged by a workpiece to be cut. 
     
     
       2. A coolant supply system as defined in claim 1 where each of said wheel guard side wall portions has directional vanes formed on the inside thereof for directing coolant from said coolant inlet opening toward a front exposed portion of said cutter wheel. 
     
     
       3. A coolant supply system as defined in claim 2 where the directional vanes formed on the inside of one of said side walls portions are in approximately opposed relation to corresponding ones of the directional vanes formed on the inside of the other of said side wall portions. 
     
     
       4. A cutter comprising, in combination, a vertically disposed motor-driven rotatable cutter wheel, a workpiece holder which is movable along a straight approximately horizontal path to feed a workpiece into an exposed front portion of said cutter wheel, said cutter wheel being rotatable in a downward direction relative to such a workpiece, wheel guard means covering an upper portion of said cutter wheel while leaving a lower front portion exposed for engagement with a workpiece, said wheel guard means having a top wall and a pair of opposed side wall portions which cover opposite sides of the upper portion of said cutter wheel, a coolant inlet opening formed in said wheel guard means generally above said cutter wheel and located to distribute coolant downwardly on both sides of said wheel within a space defined by said opposed side wall portions, and a coolant supply conduit connected to said coolant opening for supplying coolant to the interior of said wheel guard means on both sides of said cutter wheel, at least one of said wheel guard side wall portions has directional vanes formed on the inside thereof for directing coolant from said coolant inlet opening toward a front exposed portion of said cutter wheel where the same is engaged by a workpiece to be cut. 
     
     
       5. A rotating blade cutter as defined in claim 4 where each of said wheel guard side wall portions has directional vanes formed on the inside thereof for directing coolant from said coolant inlet opening toward a front exposed portion of said cutter wheel. 
     
     
       6. A rotating blade cutter as defined in claim 5 where the directional vanes formed on the inside of one of said side wall portions are in approximately opposed relation to corresponding ones of the directional vanes formed on the inside of the other of said side wall portions. 
     
     
       7. A rotating blade cutter as defined in claim 4 where said directional vanes are cast on the inside of said one side wall portion. 
     
     
       8. A rotating blade cutter as defined in claim 4 where at least three directional vanes are formed on the inside of said one side wall portion, said vanes being spaced apart from one another and approximately parallel.